2020 ASC Women's Basketball Championship Central
RICHARDSON, Texas – The American Southwest Conference Championship will start Thursday, February 27 in Richardson, Texas on the campus of University of Texas at Dallas
 
The 2020 tournament is the 22nd postseason event in league history dating back to 1999. The winner of the Championship earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, which is announced on Monday, March 2 at 1:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
 
The tournament will tip off at noon on Thursday, as (W3) Howard Payne takes on (E2) East Texas Baptist, followed by (W1) Mary Hardin-Baylor and (E4) Belhaven at 2:30 p.m. In the evening, (E3) LeTourneau will face (W2) Hardin-Simmons at 5:00 p.m. and (E1) UT Dallas will play the late game at 7:30 p.m. against (W4) Concordia Texas.
 
The ASC Championship semifinals will be played Friday, February 28. Game five will tip at 5:00 p.m. and game six is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start time. The championship game will start at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, February 29.
 
The entire eight-team, single elimination event is available for fans to watch online for free. All tournament links for live stats, broadcasts, box scores, game recaps, bracket, photos and post-game interviews can be found on the ASC Championship Central page and the UT Dallas host site.
 
Admission prices each day will be $10 for an adult day pass and $5 for students with ID. The complimentary pass list is not accepted for the ASC Championship. Doors will open one hour before the first game of each day.

T-shirts can be purchased at the tournament site or online.
 
2020 ASC Championship Tournament Teams
East Division
No. 1 UT Dallas (21-4, 15-1 ASC) – UT Dallas enters the tournament as the East Division champion, claiming its fourth consecutive division title and fifth overall, after winning the championship last year. UTD makes its 14th consecutive tournament appearance, has won four ASC championships (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) and has a 16-9 tournament record. Junior guard Raenett Hughes leads the ASC with 20.4 points per game and is second with a 56.8 field goal percentage and second with 3.3 steals per game. Senior guard Victoria Pena ranks 10th in scoring (14.4) and second in assists (4.4).

No. 2 East Texas Baptist (19-6, 13-3 ASC) – East Texas Baptist are making their 11th tournament appearance and have a 7-9 record, having won the championship in 2018. Senior center Amanda Wilson leads the conference with a 57.4 field goal percentage, while senior guard Kendrick Clark is 14th in scoring with 12.7 points per contest. Senior forward Kim Childress averages 11.9 points and ranks eighth with 7.2 boards.

No. 3 LeTourneau (14-11, 10-6 ASC) – The YellowJackets return to the tournament for the first time since 2017 and is making their fifth appearance overall with a 1-4 record. Junior guard Keauna Whitfield ranks seventh in the ASC with 16.4 points per game. Center Flora Akingbade is fifth with 7.6 rebounds and averages a block per game.

No. 4 Belhaven (14-11, 7-9 ASC) – The Blazers are making their first Championship appearance in their first year eligible for the tournament. Senior guard Peyton Papenburg is second in the league with 18.3 points per game, followed in third by guard Keke Lyles at 17.6 and leads the ASC with 3.8 steals and 2.6 three-pointers made. Mariah Collins is first with 5.2 assists per game.

West Division
No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor (21-4, 14-2) – Mary Hardin-Baylor makes its eighth consecutive tournament appearance and 16th overall.  The Cru are 13-15 in the conference tournament and are coming off a runner-up finish in 2018 and 2019. Senior guard Hannah Holt ranks sixth in the league with 16.4 points per game. Sophomore center Allaira Jones is sixth in rebounds at 7.5 and fourth with 1.0 blocks. Junior Madison McCoy ranks fifth with 3.9 assists per contest.

No. 2 Hardin-Simmons (19-6, 13-3 ASC) – Hardin-Simmons is making its ASC-record 20th appearance in the championship and sport a 19-13 record. The Cowgirls won the title six years straight from 1999-2004. Senior guard Taylor Gaffney leads the Cowgirls with 15.0 points per game, ranking ninth in the ASC, and sixth with 3.6 assists. Freshman forward Parris Parmer comes in with 13.0 ppg and is third with a 40.7 three-point field goal percentage and sophomore forward Keilee Burke is second in the league at 8.4 rebounds per game and second with 1.7 blocks.

No. 3 Howard Payne (11-14, 7-9 ASC) – Howard Payne is making its 18th overall appearance and 17th in a row, the longest active streak in the conference. They sport a 22-12 all-time mark in the ASC Championship, having won titles in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.  Junir guard Chelsey Harris ranks 11th in scoring at 14.0 points per game. Senior forward Anastasia Willis averages 7.9 rebounds, ranking fourth.
 
No. 4 Concordia Texas (9-16, 6-10 ASC) – The Tornados are making their ninth tournament appearance after missing last year’s.  They won the title in 2012 and have a 4-7 record. Senior guard Kaycie Dunkerley, who is the ASC’s career three-pointers made holder, averages 10.6 points and is second in the league with 2.3 threes made per game. Guard Havyn Perez is third in the ASC with 4.4 assists per game.